PRS 600 JUNK - Page 3

HarryT · 12-30-2009, 06:11 AM

The classics you'll find here at MR are hand-formatted, and often enormously better than either the PG or Sony versions.

K8Ereader · 12-30-2009, 06:15 AM

I'll give them a go as soon as poss!

omk3 · 12-30-2009, 06:23 AM

Farmersteve, it seems indeed that you set your address to us instead of uk when installing the sony software. If you change that, all will be well.

However if the sony software annoys you, you don't need to use it. You can load any free ebook (or any ebook without drm) on your device using calibre, a great free piece of software.

If you want to buy books, (in the UK you would do that mostly from waterstones or whsmith or foyles, but there are certainly other choices as well), you will need to authorise your reader. If you haven't done that through the sony software, you will just have to download adobe digital editions and authorise it through them.

Booklights are fine. I have the sony cover with light, which is a little expensive, but very practical. Some people find that the light is not bright enough (it's ok for me) and prefer a clip-on light from Mighty Bright (cannot remember which). It's true that you have to find the perfect position for it so that you don't have a bright spot on your screen, but it is a matter of practice. I have mine on the side of the reader and angled. Works fine. Any book light will do, actually any bright enough ambient lighting will do too, so you might not need a book light at all.

Bremen Cole · 12-30-2009, 06:26 AM

So true, the ebooks free on MobileRead https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=126 are great and you can just drag and drop them to your 300. You can also use the epubs on MobileRead as well. Plus Kobo http://www.kobobooks.com/ as well as most other sites have free books as well. Not only classics but contemporary independent authors as well. Do be aware that to read the free books from Kobo (and some others) you do need Adobe Digital Editions installed on your computer.

Concerning a light, this is my post from another thread about lighting......Your options would be perhaps different in the UK, but treat it like you are buying a light for an old school paper book and you will be fine....

I picked up a "Pathway lights: Multi-pose Brightbook" at Target. I notice it is not available at the Target site, but only at the stores in the book department. It has 4 leds, two light levels and was only $8.99. It clips on the case with ease, but would not be able to clip on the 300 itself. It works perfect. The low setting is all I need, and it is twice as bright as the high setting on the Sony one. I use rechargeable AAA batts in it....

farmersteve · 12-31-2009, 05:24 AM

I think it is fair to update everyone on this site about the current state of play
I have now been able to do the download and the reader is working fine
There are several issues I have
The staff at waterstones are obviously totally unsuitable for selling electronics they are in totally unfamiliar territory. They obviously have no one to hand who have any knowledge of these gadgets, they should really stick to selling books. places like PC world should sell electronics. Actuallly I would far prefer John Lewis since they always have staff who really know what they are talking about
The law is quite plain the sale of goods act and contract law state quite plainly that on any sale the retailer is responsible for the sale and it is the retailer who is responsible for customer satisfaction. The retailer need only refund if the goods iether do not do what they said when the goods were sold or are faulty.
As the product was not what it was described as and could not immediately be sorted I should have had a replacement or a refund. Unfortunately at the time I had a limited time to argue my case so I had to back down knowing that Barclaycard would be a far more effective weapon, as they have equal liability with the retailer as it was puchased with a credit card. Obviously as it is now working I will not be taking this route now.
I am aware that many people were affected by this problem over christmas and if Sony have any sense they ought to make some recompnse for the hours of wasted time spent, in my case probably about 20 hours to get the product working
The download did come from the British site and I did not see any more reference to American sites perhaps this was part of Sonys glitch.
ps I am not over impressed with the range of free books which come with the reader, does anyone read Shakespeare after leaving School? Actually I am one of those old enough not to have had him rammed down our throats which probably accounts for the fact I like reading so much

Bremen Cole · 12-31-2009, 06:08 AM

The free books, of course, are books in public domain. So the "classics" are mainly what you are going to get. Along with my suggestions in my earlier post there are thousands of ebooks at the Gutenberg site. http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page . Most are "lit" files that are easy to convert with Calibre. To me the 150 "free books" is a non-issue. 10 minutes on the internet and you can access those 150, plus thousands more.

Now that you have the reader up and running..... enjoy!

K8Ereader · 12-31-2009, 08:49 AM

Glad you're up and running Steve. Mine came from the Sony store, and I don't think the staff there were much more use (more used to selling TVs). Better training of staff at John Lewis as you say.
Good luck with finding an ebook you like soon!

jlbjlb · 12-31-2009, 11:57 AM

Glad you are sorted, farmersteve.

I bought my 600 reader from Argos - no classics, but I have been busy with the Gutenberg and the manybooks sites - essentially the same ebook classics but with different presentation.

Very pleased with the reader - all as I expected as I did some research before I bought.

My only big annoyance is not with the reader itself, but why oh why are commercially available ebooks so much more expensive here in the UK than the equivalent in paperback? This subject must have been aired before, so I apologise for repeating it!

Otherwise - very happy !

omk3 · 12-31-2009, 12:07 PM

I'm glad you're sorted, farmersteve. The problem with staff expertise goes far beyond waterstones. I went to Dixons to ask about an mp3 player they had in stock, and I actually ended up informing the staff about its features, instead of the other way round. I then tried the sony store (it was a sony player) and more or less the same thing happened. It seems we just have to treat them as selling points, not as experts in the products they sell. Unfortunately.

Welcome to mobileread, jlbjlb! Glad you're happy with your reader, I love mine too! The prices are indeed a much discussed topic. One reason is that paper books have no vat, but ebooks are not treated as books but as software. I think/hope this is about to change though. Older books have lower prices, new releases are often even more expensive than the hardcover. You can find many free ebooks however, public domain ones right here on mobileread, or self-published ones on sites like smashwords.

Happy reading to all!

HarryT · 12-31-2009, 12:07 PM

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you'll find enormously better-formatted classics right here at MR, in the "Book Uploads" forum.

jlbjlb · 12-31-2009, 12:58 PM

Thanks, Harry - I intend to read/reread some classics - meanwhile, I'm really enjoying an Agatha Christie book - can't put my ereader down at the moment

nick101 · 12-31-2009, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you'll find enormously better-formatted classics right here at MR, in the "Book Uploads" forum.

To sound like a broken record, you'd have to say:

"At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you'll find enormously better-formatted cla...At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you'll find enormously better-formatted cla...At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you'll find enormously better-formatted cla..."

Dr. Drib · 12-31-2009, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nick101

To sound like a broken record, you'd have to say:

"At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you'll find enormously better-formatted cla...At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you'll find enormously better-formatted cla...At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you'll find enormously better-formatted cla..."

Completely off topic:

A broken CD will not yield the same results as a broken record.

Don

nick101 · 12-31-2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Completely off topic:

A broken CD will not yield the same results as a broken record.

Don

I wonder what a broken mp3 would sound like

esowden · 12-31-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nick101

I wonder what a broken mp3 would sound like

A Windows Media file...

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12-30-2009, 06:11 AM	#31
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The classics you'll find here at MR are hand-formatted, and often enormously better than either the PG or Sony versions.

12-30-2009, 06:15 AM	#32
K8Ereader Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 350 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Norfolk UK Device: Sony PRS-600	I'll give them a go as soon as poss!

12-30-2009, 06:23 AM	#33
omk3 Wizard Posts: 1,454 Karma: 37243 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Europe Device: pocketbook 360, kindle 4	Farmersteve, it seems indeed that you set your address to us instead of uk when installing the sony software. If you change that, all will be well. However if the sony software annoys you, you don't need to use it. You can load any free ebook (or any ebook without drm) on your device using calibre, a great free piece of software. If you want to buy books, (in the UK you would do that mostly from waterstones or whsmith or foyles, but there are certainly other choices as well), you will need to authorise your reader. If you haven't done that through the sony software, you will just have to download adobe digital editions and authorise it through them. Booklights are fine. I have the sony cover with light, which is a little expensive, but very practical. Some people find that the light is not bright enough (it's ok for me) and prefer a clip-on light from Mighty Bright (cannot remember which). It's true that you have to find the perfect position for it so that you don't have a bright spot on your screen, but it is a matter of practice. I have mine on the side of the reader and angled. Works fine. Any book light will do, actually any bright enough ambient lighting will do too, so you might not need a book light at all.

12-30-2009, 06:26 AM	#34
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	So true, the ebooks free on MobileRead https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=126 are great and you can just drag and drop them to your 300. You can also use the epubs on MobileRead as well. Plus Kobo http://www.kobobooks.com/ as well as most other sites have free books as well. Not only classics but contemporary independent authors as well. Do be aware that to read the free books from Kobo (and some others) you do need Adobe Digital Editions installed on your computer. Concerning a light, this is my post from another thread about lighting......Your options would be perhaps different in the UK, but treat it like you are buying a light for an old school paper book and you will be fine.... I picked up a "Pathway lights: Multi-pose Brightbook" at Target. I notice it is not available at the Target site, but only at the stores in the book department. It has 4 leds, two light levels and was only $8.99. It clips on the case with ease, but would not be able to clip on the 300 itself. It works perfect. The low setting is all I need, and it is twice as bright as the high setting on the Sony one. I use rechargeable AAA batts in it....

12-31-2009, 05:24 AM	#35
farmersteve Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: PRS 600	I think it is fair to update everyone on this site about the current state of play I have now been able to do the download and the reader is working fine There are several issues I have The staff at waterstones are obviously totally unsuitable for selling electronics they are in totally unfamiliar territory. They obviously have no one to hand who have any knowledge of these gadgets, they should really stick to selling books. places like PC world should sell electronics. Actuallly I would far prefer John Lewis since they always have staff who really know what they are talking about The law is quite plain the sale of goods act and contract law state quite plainly that on any sale the retailer is responsible for the sale and it is the retailer who is responsible for customer satisfaction. The retailer need only refund if the goods iether do not do what they said when the goods were sold or are faulty. As the product was not what it was described as and could not immediately be sorted I should have had a replacement or a refund. Unfortunately at the time I had a limited time to argue my case so I had to back down knowing that Barclaycard would be a far more effective weapon, as they have equal liability with the retailer as it was puchased with a credit card. Obviously as it is now working I will not be taking this route now. I am aware that many people were affected by this problem over christmas and if Sony have any sense they ought to make some recompnse for the hours of wasted time spent, in my case probably about 20 hours to get the product working The download did come from the British site and I did not see any more reference to American sites perhaps this was part of Sonys glitch. ps I am not over impressed with the range of free books which come with the reader, does anyone read Shakespeare after leaving School? Actually I am one of those old enough not to have had him rammed down our throats which probably accounts for the fact I like reading so much

12-31-2009, 06:08 AM	#36
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	The free books, of course, are books in public domain. So the "classics" are mainly what you are going to get. Along with my suggestions in my earlier post there are thousands of ebooks at the Gutenberg site. http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page . Most are "lit" files that are easy to convert with Calibre. To me the 150 "free books" is a non-issue. 10 minutes on the internet and you can access those 150, plus thousands more. Now that you have the reader up and running..... enjoy!

12-31-2009, 08:49 AM	#37
K8Ereader Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 350 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Norfolk UK Device: Sony PRS-600	Glad you're up and running Steve. Mine came from the Sony store, and I don't think the staff there were much more use (more used to selling TVs). Better training of staff at John Lewis as you say. Good luck with finding an ebook you like soon!

12-31-2009, 11:57 AM	#38
jlbjlb Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Yorkshire Dales, England Device: Sony PRS 600 touch	Glad you are sorted, farmersteve. I bought my 600 reader from Argos - no classics, but I have been busy with the Gutenberg and the manybooks sites - essentially the same ebook classics but with different presentation. Very pleased with the reader - all as I expected as I did some research before I bought. My only big annoyance is not with the reader itself, but why oh why are commercially available ebooks so much more expensive here in the UK than the equivalent in paperback? This subject must have been aired before, so I apologise for repeating it! Otherwise - very happy !

12-31-2009, 12:07 PM	#39
omk3 Wizard Posts: 1,454 Karma: 37243 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Europe Device: pocketbook 360, kindle 4	I'm glad you're sorted, farmersteve. The problem with staff expertise goes far beyond waterstones. I went to Dixons to ask about an mp3 player they had in stock, and I actually ended up informing the staff about its features, instead of the other way round. I then tried the sony store (it was a sony player) and more or less the same thing happened. It seems we just have to treat them as selling points, not as experts in the products they sell. Unfortunately. Welcome to mobileread, jlbjlb! Glad you're happy with your reader, I love mine too! The prices are indeed a much discussed topic. One reason is that paper books have no vat, but ebooks are not treated as books but as software. I think/hope this is about to change though. Older books have lower prices, new releases are often even more expensive than the hardcover. You can find many free ebooks however, public domain ones right here on mobileread, or self-published ones on sites like smashwords. Happy reading to all!

12-31-2009, 12:58 PM	#41
jlbjlb Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Yorkshire Dales, England Device: Sony PRS 600 touch	Thanks, Harry - I intend to read/reread some classics - meanwhile, I'm really enjoying an Agatha Christie book - can't put my ereader down at the moment

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